Police: Fireworks complaints sometimes tough to pursue

You can stand outside at night and clearly hear that crack and pop of illegal fireworks.

In La Crosse, however, those have translated into just three citations from police over the last week or so. It’s a tough law to enforce, says La Crosse Police captain Jason Melby.

“By the time our officers get a call for service, get over to the area, a lot of times people are pretty much done,” Melby said, adding that it’s helpful for someone making a complaint about fireworks to be on the scene when police arrive.

“Very frequently, we get calls in that they want to remain anonymous and we understand that and that makes sense,” he said, “but it also makes it difficult for us, when we do get there,
if there isn’t anybody around and we don’t see any fireworks physically being lit off.”

Tickets for illegal fireworks in La Crosse are $124. Anything that explodes or flies into the air is illegal in Wisconsin and Minnesota.